Hey,

I hope I am finding you all well. I haven't posted here in a while so it has been nice to go through and read posts just to catch up a little.

I have been so busy with work, more busier than ever before and also covering stupid hours including weekends so not had a lot of time for keyboard playing for a while but since things have calmed down a little I really want to get back to it.

My T4 is still the main keyboard and it has been for many years & the PA-900 is perfect as well for that extra bit of difference (The GEM WK8 Megastation I keep for historical/nostalgic reasons mainly). You know when you reach a point where you are absolutely happy with something, the T4 especially, is still as amazing as it was from the day I got it. I did dabble with the thought of Genos but not a 76 key version and also at the expense of the T4 so it would mean having both but I couldn't justify having two TOTL keyboards, it would be far too much. The Genos sounds incredible though.

So my set up hasn't really changed much for a long time with the exception of having to sell my PSR-S950 soon after only having it a few months (this was a big mistake), I was forced into it a little. The idea there was wanting to own a kind of portable variation of the T4 and to an extent it did fit the bill for a lot of the things I wanted, but it lacked those vocal voices found in the T4 among a few other things.

Fast forward a few years on and I am back to that position, but of course there has been two models since with the S970 & S975. I have read a lot about these two and I get the feeling that this would perfectly do the trick, unless someone can give me a reason why it wouldn't, for example, if another S model would be due out imminently that I don't know about!?

I still have all my Expansion Packs I purchased for the S950, I presume these would work ok on the S975?

Thank you very much indeed,
All the best,
Danny.

Buy a Genos use the T4 as backup...good luck.

Hey Dnj, I hope all is well

Lol, that's two TOTL's !! Can only fit one I'm afraid.. And the T4 is no way portable !!! so that would be a no Nice try though !

Good luck making a difficult choice, Danny:

It's wonderful we have so many great arranger KB's from which to choose. I now own a set of Yamaha Arrangers. My latest acquisition is a used 970. Before that I relied on a used 910... and even before that, I traded an old Ford Pickup truck for a PSR-2000. I can't bring myself to get rid of any of them... perhaps I am guilty of being a hoarder... LOL! At least I don't have to haul them around... or perform in public. Songwriters are not all performers... but I do attempt to sing my own demos in order to "peddle my wares" in an overcrowded Music Market.

Great to see you posting again. Good luck on your decision.

Danny....If that's the case it's a simple choice since your a Yamaha player you can't go wrong with either the S970/S975 .....
and don't rule out the very capable S670 which I am having a ball with and it wont hurt your pocket either.

Danny...there are experts on this forum, that could give you advice regarding any of the Current TOTL and MOTL arrangers. Also, if your looking to enhance your sound options, there are many here that could assist you with Yamaha or Korg options.

Some simple questions might be:
Are you playing live?
Are you a home recording artist?
Do you feel the T4 provides all your arranger needs?
Donny’s right...you sound like a yammie arranger guy. So Genos is the top. If you need to drag it around...could be a problem.
You would probably be better off selling the T4 now as the value will continue to slide as newer models are released.

Again, there are masters of about every arranger keyboard on this forum.
Just ask for specific AK questions.
JM

Hey Riceroni9,

Thank you very much for your reply

You know to be fair, you mentioned that you could be a hoarder!! Well if I had the room, I would certainly try and obtain a few of keyboards I've had in the past, especially the PSR-8000 as that one was really dear to me being my first real experience of a TOTL, but the longer I leave it the less chance of getting one in decent condition I suspect. I just don't have the room But I do keep an eye on Ebay just to see if they are still about.

You're absolutely correct in saying we have so many choices these days and it is very heard because you won't find a bad sounding instrument and it's just now down to personal preference & ease of use.

Thanks again..
All the best.

Hi Danny,
Good to see you again.
I used to have the Tyros 4 and bought the PSR S-970 as a backup an for smaller gigs.
After setting it all up I got it to do about 90% - 95% of what I could do with my T4.
The 975 has a little more memory and the EDM and Salsa expansion pack preinstalled. All other voices and styles are the same.
All my styles from the T4 worked well in the 970.
The 970 has fewer DSP's, some of my styles with a lot of distortion guitars from the T4 had to be reworked.
You are missing some SA2 voices, only SA voices.
Other than that it is still a great KB and perfect back up for the T4.
It is truly a mini T4.
I don't think the 975 is worth the extra money ...
Good luck.
Eric

Hi Eric,

Thank you for your reply and great overview of what seems like it is exactly what I am looking for. I was never expecting a complete match up including the SA2 voices & DSP effects, as I've already experienced the S950 and you could argue that it was a mini T3, which in some ways it possibly was, in the same way you described the S975 to the T4.

Thank you once again, and yeah its good to read and post here again

Danny.

Thank you very much. Indeed I am a Yamaha player first and foremost these days!!! But with a Korg thrown in lol..

I think it will be the S975, although sure I consider the other models but I think I've set my heart on the S975 now. I've not heard a single negative thing here so far, so then it's already helped make my choice.

or.....If there isn't a rush....you might want to wait a bit until the new Yamaha MOTL unit release

The 975 is a great choice especially since you had the 950. You'll fell right at home with some extra goodies ...
Eric

That's what I was afraid of !!! Too late now I've ordered it now

Thanks Eric, yes my choice was definitely influenced by how much I did like the S950 so that certainly helped.

Well then good luck with it and enjoy your music...
stay in touch with your experiences..

Check your mail in a little while I sent you a nice gift....

Hi JM,

Thank you for your reply. Yes you were certainly correct with the many peeps that replied here and has helped me make my decision. I've been a member here since day 1 of this forum (and also a few years with the previous forum though I can't remember what it was called now ).. It has always been my number 1 goto place for advice, I am certainly no expert but I know that the majority of the lovely members here are

To answer your questions as you asked them, I don't play live anymore, I used to assist playing in our church as well but that has since gone so I am now pretty much just a hobbyist with the occasional recording at home when work isn't dominating my time.

The T4 most certainly fulfills everything I need and I have contemplated looking at upgrading it to either the T5 or Genos in the past but I concluded that I don't want to depart from the T4 and can't justify having two TOTL so I am going to stick with it. But having a more portable T4 was something I've always wanted since first owning a T4, for instance if I wanted to take it in any room in the house or even to my friends and families without the complete rigmarole of setting it up every time.

Thanks again for your response which has helped.

All the best,
Danny

Absolutely ! I think I do have a lot of catching up to do, want to also get stuck in reading many of the posts here as well.

One question that I hasn't been answered though, will those expansion packs I bought for the S950 (which was most of them at the time), work on the S975? I am guessing they would but just in case I would need to get them converted or something like that.

You have mail coming soon large file...

Ooo !! Thank you!! however I am about to go out for the evening but will definitely check upon my return !! Thank you very much

If you wander over to the PSR Tutorial forum, you will find all the Genos styles that have been converted to work with the S-975 and S-970. They sound fantastic on my S-950 as well. The neat thing about going through all these files is they become inspirational in learning new and exciting songs, at least this has always been the case for me.

Enjoy that new keyboard and keep us posted as to your progress with some new songs,

Gary

Kool...
You're in for a treat....

IMO this waiting game can be endless. First you wait for the information about new keyboards, then you wait till they are available for purchase, then you're thinking that the price may drop later, and at this point something new may appear on the horizon.

Personally, I don't see a reason that the choice should become much wider than it is now, nor I expect a huge progress in this area.

Get a B3/Leslie. Never goes out of date or out of style. Not only can you spend the rest of your life learning every aspect of it, but it will only grow in value and when your gigging life is over, you'll have a fine piece of furniture (or wood for a bonfire if your career didn't go that well). Finally, you will take a lot less crap from your fellow musicians (especially those that play instruments that an arranger can cover just as well ). Who knows, you could be the next Lachy Doley or Joey D. Just something to consider.....NOT!

chas

They should work.
I even imported expansion packs from my S970 into my Genos.
If you are unable to import them go to the Yamaha website and register your new KB.
Yamaha let's you download the update for free ...
Eric

Kabinopus, the cart was designed with special curb and stair skids, which would easily handle curbs to 8 inches high. Having never visited Russia, I don' know how high the curbs, but most of those in this part of the world are just 6 inches high, as mandated by local laws.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary

Just had notification that my S975 will be arriving on Tuesday !! Can't wait..

Thank you, that's excellent news!

Danny...Even laying in a hospital bed...I’m excited for you.

Good Luck,
JM

Strange advice from a non Genos owner ... don't ya think?

True, yes, Strange no,....but enough Yamaha arranger KB experience to know what I am talking about even though I chose not to buy one at this time. Don't ya think?

Nope. You always say "play it for yourself" ... there's something really odd about you being head cheerleader for an instrument you never touched. It doesn't make sense to me. No worries. Just observation.

Ok Dave Happy Easter to you and yours.